What would you do if you had an AI platform with 3 million users? Most people would cling to it for dear life. But KJ Chen isn’t most people. He walked away from it all to start from scratch. Six months later, his new venture hit a $70 million valuation.

Using a unique viral marketing engine, KJ’s new product, Macaron, went from zero to 300,000 active users and 200,000 user-generated apps in half a year. Today, I’m breaking down the full strategy so you can apply these exact moves to your own projects.

The Shocking Stats

Macaron’s growth isn't just hype; it's backed by raw data:

• Valuation: $70M

• User Base: 300,000+ active users

• UGC: 200,000+ mini-apps created

• The Pivot: Walked away from 3,000,000 users at Midreel

• The Velocity: All achieved in just 6 months

With an average of two apps per user and a 60% engagement rate, Macaron isn't just a tool; it’s a movement.

The Product: Why Abandon 3 Million Users?

KJ’s original product, Midreel, was an AI fiction platform. It was huge, but it had a problem: users felt "empty" after binge-reading AI stories. KJ saw a bigger trend—people didn't just want to consume; they wanted to build.

He launched Macaron: a personal AI assistant that lets anyone create mini-apps (calorie trackers, workout plans, study tools) with a single sentence. No coding, just conversation. He traded 3 million passive readers for 300,000 active creators because creator value is exponentially higher.

The 5-Step Viral Playbook

While most founders waste money on Facebook ads, KJ built an engine. Here is how he did it.

1. Seed the Community

KJ didn't blast the general public. He went where the "builders" live. He targeted AI creator communities and prompt engineering Discord servers—people who already had an "app mindset." A small group of 500 loyalists became the foundation, providing the critical feedback loop needed for rapid iteration.

2. The Product Hunt Explosion

Macaron launched on Product Hunt with a visual identity that popped—bright oranges and pinks, looking as irresistible as its namesake. By positioning it as the first "consumer-grade" app builder, they secured #1 Product of the Week, bringing in 20,000 users in a fortnight.

3. The Short-Video Blitz

KJ adapted the "Roy Lee Formula" (the founder of Clearly). The strategy is simple: quantity creates quality.

• Mass Production: Post hundreds of videos during peak times.

• The Multiplier Effect: If a video hits on one account, repost it across ten others.

• Controversy as Distribution: Sparking debate drives the algorithm.

• Performance-Based Pay: KJ didn't pay flat fees; he paid creators based on how their videos actually performed.

4. The 3-Step Video Framework

After testing thousands of clips, they found the "Holy Grail" of video structure:

• The Hook: Present a relatable, real-life struggle (e.g., "I can't track my macros while traveling").

• The Solution: Show Macaron building a custom app to solve that exact problem in seconds.

• The Action: Give a specific "App Code." Viewers type the code into Macaron to instantly get that same app.

5. The Product-Led Growth Loop

This is the genius part: the code-sharing mechanism. A user creates an app, gets a code, and shares it on TikTok. Viewers see the value, enter the code, and become users. They then realize they need their own custom tools, create them, and the cycle repeats. The product is the marketing.

Platform Breakdown: Where the Growth Lives

KJ’s analysis of where to spend your energy is eye-opening:

• TikTok & Instagram (The Conversion Kings): This is where the users are. The short-form format perfectly matches the "instant gratification" of AI app building.

• X / Twitter (The Prestige Tool): Low conversion, but high authority. This is where you find investors, partners, and top-tier engineering talent.

The Future: 2 Million Daily Visits

KJ isn’t stopping at 300k users. His next move is turning those 200,000 user-generated apps into SEO-optimized landing pages. If each app gets just 10 visits a day from Google, that’s 2 million daily visitors—completely for free.

Lessons for the Modern Founder

1. Don’t Fear the Pivot: If a new opportunity has a higher ceiling, have the courage to walk away from "okay" success.

2. Product as Distribution: When using your product naturally generates marketing content, your growth becomes sustainable.

3. Platform Fit: Use TikTok to acquire, and X to build your "moat" of authority.

The AI era has a simple mantra: Let the AI do what used to require an expert. Find a niche pain point, build an "unseen" solution, and let your users become your marketing department.

Ideas are cheap. Execution—and the courage to pivot—is where the $70 million lives.

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Would you like me to help you draft a "3-step video script" for one of your own projects based on KJ Chen’s framework?